


suddenly seymour

by playbills



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Seblos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22228324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playbills/pseuds/playbills
Summary: “i just play whatever i’m thinking of before rehearsal. usually, no one’s here.”“oh.” carlos stood in front of the piano, resting his binder on the top of it as he leaned against it ever so slightly, just to get a better view of seb sitting on the other side. “im sorry for interrupting, then. i just heard my favorite musical and i had to come to see where it was coming from.”
Relationships: Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50





	suddenly seymour

**Author's Note:**

> don't really know what i'm doing but here's a lil seblos scene pre-episode 5 homecoming. uhhh enjoy.

suddenly seymour

there was a piano in seb’s house. that’s how he had learned to play. it was in the living room and had been used as a sort of shelf space until he was about four and decided he preferred climbing onto the bench next to it and hitting the keys to milking cows and collecting eggs. he hadn’t ever had lessons, but he didn’t need them; he had always seemed to understand the keys and the way he could create music with them. by the time he was in ninth grade, there was rarely a day seb wasn’t found sitting at his piano, hands flying over the keys expertly. his mom would claim he was a prodigy on the keys, but seb didn’t think so. he just liked to play.

his piano playing skills meant he had to show up for any and all music rehearsals, as ms. jenn has dubbed him the unofficial music director of the show. but he didn’t mind the extra rehearsal time because whenever he was there, so was carlos, sitting with his clipboard and pen and paying the utmost attention to the scene he was working on. and paying never any attention to seb.

seb had taken to showing up to the theatre a little early most days, warming up at the piano with a different musical every day. today, he was partway through “hello twelve, hello thirteen, hello love” from a chorus line when a voice from the doorway interrupted.

“seb?” his hands immediately missed the keys, slamming against the piano loudly as he glanced up to catch who had spoken. there was carlos, binder and clipboard in hand and pen stuck behind one ear as he stood in the doorway. with the fluorescent lights from the hallway illuminating him from behind, seb could almost swear he looked like an angel. 

“oh my gosh, im so sorry,” the farmboy said quickly, standing to gather his things. “i was just warming up, i didn’t think anyone would be around.” carlos quickly walked toward him, cocking one brow slightly as he watched the other boy.

“you don’t have to move, seb. it’s fine for you to practice— i mean, it’s probably good. it shows initiative,” he replied, giving an awkward half-smile as seb hesitantly sat back onto the piano bench. 

“i just play whatever i’m thinking of before rehearsal. usually, no one’s here.”

“oh.” carlos stood in front of the piano, resting his binder on the top of it as he leaned against it ever so slightly, just to get a better view of seb sitting on the other side. “im sorry for interrupting, then. i just heard my favorite musical and i had to come to see where it was coming from.”

seb’s face lit up ever so slightly. “a chorus line is your favorite?” 

“well, obviously. a musical all about dancing? how would i not love it?” he leaned his elbows on the top of the piano, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he grinned back at seb. “plus, i mean, it’s absolutely perfect. michael bennett was an absolute genius when it came to that show.” seb couldn’t help but melt a little at how excited carlos was about this show.

“i can play some more if you’d like. what’s your favorite song?” carlos’ face immediately lit up as seb said it, like a kid on christmas.

“oh my god, really?” seb nodded back, trying to run through all the music from the show that he could recall off the top of his head. “i mean, ‘at the ballet’ is a classic. oh, but you know what you should play?” seb had prepared to start the five-eight time vamp to the song when carlos said that and glanced up again expectantly. “do you know suddenly seymour?”

of course, seb knew that it was a classic. but that was a duet. a romantic duet, he might add. and one that wasn’t even about dancing— it was about carnivorous man-eating plants. “oh. yeah, i know it,” he replied, absently playing the opening chords. 

“in auditions, i really thought you’d make a great seymour. or— or audrey!” carlos quickly added, looking over seb’s fave to gauge his reaction. “i mean, you’d be great at whatever role you played.” seb did his best to hide the total blush that was rising in his cheeks.

“oh.” he glanced down at his hands, watching them repeat the opening chords over and over and pretending to pay attention to what he was playing, although he knew it all by heart. “i don’t just play female characters, you know. i was archie beacon in brigadoon last year.” 

“i know,” carlos replied quickly, as if trying to make up for some mistake he made. seb wasn’t sure why he seemed weirdly nervous. “i mean, i’m sure your vocal range can cover both of them, right? and i don’t want to assume anything –”

“i think i’m more used to singing seymour’s part if that’s what you’re asking.” seb snuck another look at carlos, who raised his brows in response to the comment. “jonathan groff’s version is my favorite seymour,” he added sheepishly. he watched as a smile broke across carlos’ face, and he leaned against the piano again. 

“oh, that’s good, cause i always sang audrey’s part. i’ve got an embarrassingly high voice,” carlos said, the smile a little less confident as he said it. 

“i didn’t know you sang.” seb replayed the first few notes, finding his way to the second verse of the song with an expectant gaze as carlos. 

“oh, i’m nowhere as good as you– nobody ever treated me kindly.” carlos jumped right into the song without so much as finishing his sentence, a giddy, almost embarrassed grin as he sang. the boy couldn’t pass up a classic broadway duet. seb couldn’t help but stare at him as he sang, barely thinking about his fingers as he watched the choreographer in awe. 

with an expectant look from carlos at the chorus, seb couldn’t help but join in, squeezing his eyes shut as he belted the harmonies he had sung alone in his barn so many times. had he kept his eyes open, he might have noticed carlos’s absolutely breathless stare at him as he sang. 

as seb played the final notes, he managed to steal a glance at carlos again, who was fully leaning against the top of the piano with a huge grin on his face. there was a beat of silence as the two boys looked at each other before they broke out into laughter. that seemed to always be the response to an awkward situation.

“you sounded great, carlos. you should sing more,” seb said finally, giving the other sophomore that soft grin that practically melted carlos’ insides. not that seb would know that.

“i mean, you always sound incredible. seriously, you’re about to be the best sharpay this school has ever seen!” seb couldn’t help but laugh again, mostly because he was very bad at taking compliments. “and thanks for singing with me.” he leaned a little closer over the top of the piano, and seb felt his breath catch. “i don’t think i’ve actually ever had a duet partner before.”

“well, i’m happy to sing with you any time,” seb replied, hoping his face looked less red than it felt. “and unless the cows count as a partner, i’ve never had one either.” he paused with an awkward shrug, before adding: “a partner, that is. a duet partner!” carlos couldn’t help but let out another laugh and awkward smile.

“those cows are lucky to get to hear you sing all the time,” he replied. there was another awkward pause, as neither boy knew what to say. carlos broke it by clearing his throat and grabbing his binder again, mumbling “i should probably get ready for–”

“yeah, no, i should–” carlos held his binder to his chest as seb stood up from the piano, both uncertain exactly what they were doing. 

“i’ll come by tomorrow if you’re playing here again,” carlos said after opening and closing his mouth a few times before he could find any words. “see you in rehearsal!” and with that, he rushed out to go down to the bomb shelter and meet with ms. jenn, leaving seb alone in the huge theatre with just him, the piano, and a lot of thoughts to unpack.


End file.
